Wood Protection

hey george,
i think that under cover is fine as long as they are off the ground. the scoot and stone boat should wear out before the oil would help out. i might oil the sled, that should go a long time, but i have used used motor oil and it works great, but it comes out and you will be the same color as the oil if you use them hard enough.

hi george, i think that the black in used motor oil is carbon from heat and wear in your engine. its a solid that must not get absorbed totally by the wood, cause it ends up on your hands. its not a pretty color to look at. it works good on fence posts and other things but mostly i think old timers were trying to come up with ways to use their used oil. i remember the town spraying it down on the dirt roads in town to keep down the dust. can’t imagine that being a popular idea today. but in answer to your question, i know there are alot of wood preservatives that you might consider for your scoot runners. timberframe coats are meant for indoor applications, but porch and deck treatments like cuprinol and so on might be a good look. i’ll ask around. mitch

I have used linseed oil on tool handles and the like but the problem is that is never fully penetrates. That is why commercial linseed oil has dryers that can be a bit toxic, relatively. I just oiled a post and beam structure with a newish product from Penofin, called Verde. It is their “green” alternative. It is mostly rosewood nut oil, I think. Something about the composition of the oil makes it really penatrate and last. The nice thing about this stuff is it actually has a label that states that there are no ingredients know to cause cancer. When you live in California and the state has determined that just about anything can give you cancer and they post it everywhere, that is refreshing. I know you know what I am talking about because the influence of CA is everywhere. It was nice to not have to deal with a toxic substance.

On a personal note I am attracted to draft as an alternative to tractor power mainly because I am tired of dealing with so much oil, hydraulic fluid, lithium grease, and diesel. Before you label me as California hippy, you should know that I do most of my own tractor work and maintence myself and I am certainly not as afraid of the world as CA would have me be. But still for my own health and the health of the planet I want to make logical deciesons that move us away from the use of oil. I think the best use for used oil is to recycle it and not spread it out any more than needed.

Maybe Brazillian Rosewood nut oil is not the most “sustainable” choice either if you factor in transport distance and time, but I know I am along way from pressing and boiling my own flax oil for a wood treating oil. Although, I just did plant a 1/4 acre of flax, who knows. I used it because it was easy, had desirable results, and I knew that it wasn’t going to kill me or my workers.

Who knows, maybe the best solution is to just let it be and it will probably last just as long without any oil at all.

Jim’s raw linseed oil, terps and pine tar recipe is classic ‘boat soup’. You can play around with the proportions until you get the consistency you like. I sometimes add just a splash of japan drier so it cures a bit faster. It will blacken the wood over the years, and it can be a bit sticky for quite a while, especially on a hot day…but it smells like Heaven. I lived for years on a trad. sailboat, and just the thought of that smell almost brings tears. I’m not saying it’s good for you or non-toxic, but it smells like heaven, and if i’m going to poison myself i might as well enjoy it.
I’m with Kevin about the used motor oil…filthy toxic stuff that will leach into your soil and leave sheens and slicks on your water and i can’t imagine spreading it around my farm. Maybe in the 40’s when people just didn’t know..
If you keep your stuff shedded bare wood might be quite practical? Where I’m at it’s pretty dry, but bare wood weathers a nice grey and lasts a looong time.

The proportions aren’t that critical…people sometimes change it up according to the application. You might want to start with something like a quart of linseed oil, a quart of terps, and a pint of pine tar. If it was something you were going to be handling a lot you might want to throw in some japanese drier, but for runners i don’t think I’d bother…it will be sticky and stainy though.

When you heat up the mixture the blob of pine tar will start to flow and will mix up nicely. Be Careful! It’s not quite as bad as trying to heat up gasoline, but it is definitely flammable, vapours included. Outside. Not too hot. I never used a double boiler, but I might have been stupid. Maybe read a patrick o’brian novel the night before to get into the spirit of things. Shantys help. Have fun! Gloves. The state of california would frown on the whole business.

ps it’s going to turn black in the sunlight over the years, just so you know.

guess i forgot to say they sprayed oil on the dirt roads around here until the oil started showing up in the well water